


Piece of My Heart

by ficmuse



Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Drug Addiction, Drug Use, Gen, Past Sexual Abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 14:58:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10026911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ficmuse/pseuds/ficmuse
Summary: One day, a girl named Delilah walked into Lux with a guitar and a dream. What did Lucifer Morningstar see in her that made her special?Pre-Pilot; GenCaution: this story alludes to sexual abuse and may be triggering.





	

The open call at Lux for a new vocalist, Lucifer’s own idea, had been a mistake. He had sat through a slew of wannabe rockers and artistes. He had decided to pack it in when one last singer walked through the door.

Although she was a tiny thing, she strolled in like she owned the place. The girl had a lanky look, like she hadn’t quite grown into herself yet. She had an elfin face, with a pointed chin and large eyes, hidden under a fall of dirty blonde hair. She was not dressed to impress; she wore a battered army jacket decorated with patches and oversized, baggy jeans. A guitar case was slung over one shoulder.

“What’s your name, darling?” asked Lucifer.

“Delilah.”

“Show us what you've got.”

She shot him a confident smile. Acapella, she belted out an incredible version of Janis Joplin’s _Piece of My Heart_.

 _You know you got it, if it makes you feel good_ , she sang, and she met his eyes with a wicked grin. She was great, and she knew it.

As Delilah sang, the workers in Lux stopped what they were doing and surrounded Lucifer, listening to the golden voice that this unassuming girl possessed. Lucifer hadn’t heard such beauty since he had left Heaven. Something in her voice stirred his soul, rather than his loins, and he could not remember the last time that had happened.

He hired her on the spot. She would sing with him at Lux, three nights a week. They shook on the deal. He noticed how light her hand was in his, the shadows under her eyes.

“Let’s say we walk across the street to the coffee shop, you can tell me a little bit about yourself.”

He told her he was buying. She ordered a full steak dinner, dessert, glass after glass of Coke.

He watched her inhale the food, cramming it into her mouth. “How long has it been since you ate anything?”

She looked up at him, eyes wide as a deer in the headlights. “What?”

“I’m not going to make you tell me anything you don’t want to. But I just want you to know, if you are in trouble, I will help you.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard that one before.”

“I will help you, because you’re talented, not because I want to get into your pants.”

She gave him a hard look. “Like you’d tell me if you did. Guys like you just do whatever they want anyway.”

“Believe me, Delilah, you’ve never met a guy like me before.”

“You sure are full of yourself.” She poured ketchup over her steak and took another mouthful.

He leaned forward. “Listen to me. I am making you a promise, right now. My word is iron clad. I will help you. I will do whatever I can to make you succeed. Because that is what you want, isn’t it, love, to be a star? Tell me, Delilah, what is it you truly desire?”

She smiled at him. “I want to win a Grammy by the time I’m twenty-one.”

“How old are you now, love?”

“I turned eighteen two days ago. I got on a bus in Om...where I’m from and I came to L.A. I came straight to your club from the Greyhound station. I saw your ad on Craigslist.”

“So we have a little less than three years to make your dream come true.” He smiled at her wickedly. “Let’s get started, shall we?”

*****

They were a great team. Delilah's voice was powerful and strong. The crowd at Lux swelled on their nights together.

He paid for a vocal coach, to help her develop some better techniques. He signed a lease for a studio for her to live in, walking distance from the club. She moved from strength to strength, blossoming more each week.

Within a year, she was ready for the next step in her evolution. Lucifer called a guy who owed him a favor and booked a recording studio. He sat in the booth listening as Delilah recorded some of the most powerful rock and roll tracks he had heard in years. The demo would be gold. Even without his involvement, the girl’s voice would make her a star. It was inevitable.

Back at Lux, he played the demo for her. They sat on the couch in his penthouse, listening to her voice. When the music ended, she turned to him.

“So, what did you think?”

“I think you are the most fresh, powerful voice to come along in years, my dear. You truly gave me chills, with that last track.”

She smiled at him, delighted. “You really think so?”

“I absolutely do.” He lit a cigarette and looked at her. “I have some connections I can use to help you. But before I do, I want you to agree. If I help you now, you will owe me a favor.”

All of the joy went out of her face. She reached up, her face hard, and untied her halter-top. It fell down, exposing her small, perfect breasts. She pushed up her skirt, revealing that she was nude below the waist. She turned her face toward the wall and waited.

“Delilah, your sexual favors are not the favor I had in mind. I enjoy enthusiastic, consensual sex. I am not a rapist and you are little more than a child.”

She met his eyes. “My childhood was over a long time ago, Lucifer.”

He reached towards her and pulled down her skirt. She flinched at his touch. “I will never hurt you, Delilah, and if someone else does, I will make them very sorry.”

Delilah fixed her top, covering up. She smiled bitterly and met his eyes. “Where were you when I was a little girl?”

Something in her eyes hurt him. Nothing ever hurt him. It was interesting. “Delilah, I would very much like for you to tell me your story.”

It was a horrible, familiar tale. Child rapists were a dime a dozen in Hell. Daddies that abused their daughters instead of protecting them were the bread and butter that kept Hell in business.

Lucifer watched Delilah’s face as she told him her personal history. Her voice was hard, distant, but he saw a lone tear fall on her cheek. This girl was in pain, a deep wound in her soul that would never heal. Or maybe it would, if he helped her make the right choices.

He’d granted a lot of favors, before. But he had never wanted to help someone, for his or her own sake. It felt odd; it felt like a kind of an....itchiness inside him. It made him uncomfortable. He preferred to focus on what he was familiar with: punishment.

“Tell me, Delilah, where exactly your father lives.”

Three days later, she got the call that her father had been beaten to death with a baseball bat, after hours at his auto shop. She had meetings in L.A. that she couldn’t miss, as she was very busy shopping her demo with Lucifer in tow. She sent a nice flower arrangement to the funeral home, with her apologies.

******

“She looks like she’s fifteen,” Jimmy Barnes said to Lucifer. “I mean, sex sells. The kid has a set of pipes, yeah. But she’s got no tits. No sex appeal.” He shrugged. “Look, I’ve got a stable of hotties ready to hit the big time. This kid’s not ready for the big leagues yet.”

Despite Delilah’s voice, that was the message that Lucifer heard over and over. This was the first time that someone was tactless enough to say it in front of her. Lucifer could tell from the look in her eyes that the music producer had hurt her with his words.

They performed that night at the club. Delilah was at the height of her power vocally, but distant. After the club closed, she sat at the bar. Maze poured her a double bourbon on the rocks and Lucifer sat next to her.

“You seemed a bit off tonight.”

She gulped down her drink. “Do you think I’m beautiful?” she asked.

He hesitated. “Your looks are fine, Delilah.”

“But not beautiful.” Her voice was sad.

“No. Your features are nice, but your chin is quite pointy; your nose is a bit big.”

She raised one hand and touched the tip of her nose. “It is?”

Maze leaned forward. “Look, kid. This is Los Angeles. You think there’s a whole lot of natural beauty walking around out there? Think again.”

“Maze is right,” said Lucifer. “I know a fantastic plastic surgeon. Would you like to meet him?”

Six months later, Delilah had an entirely new face. The only thing that was the same was her light blue eyes. Where she had subtle curves before, she now had obvious assets. The men at Lux turned and watched her when she walked by.

One night, Lucifer realized he was noticing Delilah in a new way. She noticed that he noticed. She came over to him at the end of the night and put one hand on his chest. Surprisingly, instead of appreciating her newfound beauty, he remembered who she had been, when she had first walked through his doors. He remembered the solitary tear she had permitted himself, when she told him of her past.

He reached out and cupped her cheek. “I do fucking, not feelings, my girl. I would hurt you terribly, and you deserve someone who can give you what you need.”

She smiled up at him. “So, that’s a very polite no?”

He kissed her hand. “You are a diamond in a sea of rhinestones, my dear. Hold out for someone who can appreciate you for the jewel you are.” He put his hand in the center of her back and walked her out to her car.

 ******

The club was packed. Lucifer had put together an industry showcase at Lux. Movers and players in the business were circulating, enjoying copious free booze. Lucifer accompanied Delilah on the piano. At the end of the night, she sprawled herself across his piano and sang a breathy, husky cover of “ _Pour Some Sugar On Me_.” She was sexy, beautiful, and a mesmerizing presence. The applause was deafening. She had three contracts on the table at the end of the night, all begging her to sign.

She was flushed and excited. Lucifer sat with her upstairs on the couch. “Now, I think that you should go with the deal from Atlantic. I have a feeling they will treat you right over there.”

The girl was a whirlwind of activity, fidgeting, grinding her teeth. She couldn’t keep still. One of her feet was tapping nonstop.

Lucifer took an assessing look. “Delilah, sweetheart, are you on cocaine?”

She leaned away from him, her eyes wide. “No. No.”

“I don’t like it when people lie to me,” he said crisply.

She bit her lip. “One of the chicks from Decca, she took me into the ladies room for a little bump. Just to celebrate. No big deal.”

“You be careful with that stuff,” he said. “You’re not immortal. It could kill you.”

******

Delilah’s career went through the roof. Her days singing at Lux were a distant memory. First, her album went triple platinum. She launched a worldwide, sold out stadium tour, that lasted an entire year.

At her L.A. show at the Staples Center, Lucifer was backstage to see her perform. The sight of the crowd screaming her name, singing along, made him feel incredibly proud. She hugged him in her dressing room. “This is all thanks to you, Lucifer.”

She was ecstatic, glowing. She pulled out a little mirror and lacquered box from her purse and snorted a thick line of cocaine. She didn’t even blink. This must be normal for her now.

“Darling, you need to slow down with the coke,” he said. “You just inhaled enough to make a bloody snow globe.”

She laughed and kissed him. “You don’t need to look out for me, Lucifer. I’ve got this.” She threw her arms around him and hugged him. Minutes later, her assistant came to get her and she disappeared to do press.

Delilah was nominated for Best New Artist that year. She asked Lucifer to be her date for the evening. He stood off to one side as she posed on the red carpet, smiling. When she won, she held up her trophy on stage. “This is for my friend Lucifer Morningstar, who believed in me when nobody else did. You made my dreams come true.” She blew him a kiss from the stage.

After that, she went into the studio with Jimmy Barnes and recorded a single that would become her sixth #1 hit. Her moments with Lucifer were fleeting. She was always in a rush between one city and another. He received an invitation to her wedding in the mail. To, unbelievably, Jimmy Barnes, possibly the biggest sack of shit that ever oozed across the face of the earth.

Lucifer tried to see Delilah before the wedding, but she was heavily booked with prenuptial events and appointments. He didn’t see her until the morning of the wedding. He walked through the church, perched high above the ocean in Malibu. He talked his way into the bride’s room by pleasuring her maid of honor quite magnificently up against the back wall of a confessional. He hoped Dad had enjoyed that.

So, he found the bride, in front of her mirror. She was enveloped in chiffon. Her veil was dotted with crystals. Delilah was polished, elegant and exquisite.

She turned around and gasped. “Lucifer? What are you doing here?”

“I came to check in with the beautiful, blushing bride.” He kissed her cheek. “You are quite stunning, my dear.”

“Thank you.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

“I have never seen a more unhappy bride in my life. Not that I frequent weddings. Or churches, in general.” He tilted his head. “Do you really want this marriage, to Jimmy bloody Barnes? Truly?”

She looked pained. “Jimmy said everything that I wanted to hear, that he would always take care of me, that he would treat me right. That he loved me.”

“That’s all admirable, and more than I expected from the slovenly worm, but tell me, Delilah, do you love him?”

“No,” she admitted. “I want to, but I just don’t.”

“Don’t you think that you deserve real love, my dear?”

She looked at him. Her eyes were dead. “No. I really don’t.”

Lucifer took her hand and kissed it. “Then I think that perhaps a spot of therapy will do you good. But first, how do you want to handle this?”

He reserved a suite for her at the Chateau Marmont, under the name Penny Lane. He packed her off in her limousine, cans rattling behind it as she left. He watched the limo turn the corner. He sighed in relief. He had kept her from making a terrible mistake. It felt good, for some reason.

He walked around the building from the rear parking lot to the front steps. He pushed past the gaggle of bridesmaids waiting outside the sanctuary. The organist began to play the _Wedding March_. Lucifer pushed open the double doors and strode down the aisle. There were gasps and murmurs among the guests. The wedding processional music faded and died.

By the time Lucifer reached the altar, Jimmy was as red as a beet. “Where is Delilah?” he hissed.

Lucifer handed him the engagement ring. “She’s moved on to hotter pastures, I’m afraid.” The best man caught his eye. “Speaking of which, hello handsome! You look good enough to eat.” Lucifer whistled.

The man blushed. “Hi, I’m Raj.”

“Meet me at my club, Lux, later. You won’t be sorry you did.” Lucifer turned and marched back down the aisle. “See you later, Jimmy. Better luck next time, with the whole wedding thing.”

****

There was a flurry of press about the broken engagement. Then, it all went downhill. Another day, another drama for Delilah. First, there was a DUI leaving a club in L.A. Then she passed out in public at the Grammys; a phone hack revealed topless selfies and crotch shots; and lastly, a drug bust at the airport in Dubai.

Lucifer flew to Dubai and personally handled the business of getting Delilah out of jail. The authorities there were not fucking around about their drug laws. It took a lot of cash, a lot of favors, but he got her out.

Delilah was broken; diminished by her incarceration. The spark that had lit her like a lamp in the dark had gone out. When the plane landed at LAX, he drove her home to her penthouse. She took a shower, cleaning off the stink of jail. When she came out, he handed her a martini with a lemon twist.

“Are you feeling more the thing, now?”

She smiled. “You always know just what I need.”

“I’m the devil. That’s my business.”

She finished the drink and held out the glass for a refill.

“Please pace yourself," said Lucifer. "You’re burning the candle at both ends. I was able to pull you out of the fire, this time. Next time might not be so easy.”

Before he left, she took his hand. “Why do you keep trying to save me?”

He smiled at her. “You still owe me a favor, darling, and I intend to collect.”

The next time he saw her, she died in front of his eyes.

****

The day that Jimmy was officially convicted of Delilah’s murder, Lucifer visited her grave. He placed a flask of whisky on her headstone.

“He will pay here on Earth for what he did to you,” he said, “and you can be sure that he’ll pay even more in Hell. I guarantee it.” He reached out one hand and followed the curve of the headstone. “You deserved better, my sweet. I would say that we will meet again, but I hope not. I hope you find peace.”

He turned and walked away.

 

The End


End file.
